Miguel on Being Labelled: There’s No Box for Me

Photo Credit: Timothy Saccenti/RCA RecordsMiguel has always been adamant about not wanting to label his music. Whle promoting his upcoming album, Wildheart, the singer explains that his mixed ethnicity — part African American and part Mexican — plays into his unwillingness to conform to just one genre.

“I was just trying to figure out where I belong or who I am, which directly affects how I create my music and why I create the way I do,” Miguel tells Rolling Stone. “I’m rooted in soul, but I’m in love with rock & roll and I’m not gonna conform to any of their expectations because I do what the f**k I want, you know? There’s no box for me. There was never any box for me.”

He also explains how his new album differs from 2012’s Kaleidoscope Dream. “This time it was like I finally want to have an identity as a taste-maker, as someone who’s ahead of the curve, someone who’s intellectual, someone who’s striving to push the boundaries, someone who’s ever-growing and evolving, someone who’s open-minded,” he says.

Miguel adds that the set is a tribute to his hometown of Los Angeles. “I just wanted this album to look and feel and taste like twilight in L.A.,” he says. “Just light enough to see the beauty, but then dark enough for all of the sketchy s**t to happen.”